Casselberry construction firm plans HQ office for new mixed-use bldg

City of Casselberry

The areas outlined in red are the combined parcels where Axios Construction Services plans to build a mixed-use commercial and office building. The red square in the middle is where the company’s current office is located. The surrounding, red-lined area was acquired from Florida Department of Transportation.

The areas outlined in red are the combined parcels where Axios Construction Services plans to build a mixed-use commercial and office building. The red square in the middle is where the company’s current office is located. The surrounding, red-lined area was acquired from Florida Department of Transportation.

(City of Casselberry)

Mike SalineroGrowthSpotter contributor

Local general contractor Axios Construction Services plans to demolish its current headquarters in Casselberry and build a new home for the company in a new multi-level, mixed-use development.

Currently located at 2905 Lakeview Dr., company founders Rami and Rida Sadrack have laid the groundwork for a new building by acquiring surplus land immediately around that address from the Florida Department of Transportation, at 6150 U.S. Highway 17-92.

The transportation agency had acquired the land through eminent domain to construct the U.S. 17-92 flyover bridge spanning S.R. 436. When the city said it had no use for the property, Axios bought it, according to Casselberry chief planner Emily Hanna.

The Sadracks, who could not be reached for comment, want to build a three- to five-story building on the site, according to a company spokeswoman. She said the ground floor will be leased to commercial businesses, with offices above.

The company is still in the design phase with demolition and construction start dates still to be determined, the spokeswoman said.

Casselberry’s Planning and Zoning Commission recently recommended approval of Axios’ request that the combined tracts be rezoned from Commercial-General to Mixed Use: Medium Rise. The rezoning is likely to be approved by the City Commission, Hanna said.

The company is also considering re-platting the combined sites so it can fence the vacant area acquired from FDOT.

“People were wandering through that site,” Hanna said. “(The owners) were concerned drugs were being dealt there on the site and they wanted to fence it in. But you can’t fence vacant land, so they had to rezone it and they want to replat.”

MMI Development paid $5.2 million on Dec. 22 for two value-add retail centers on S.R. 436 in Casselberry, marking the last two commercial divestitures by principals of one of Orlando's most impactful homebuilders of the past 50 years.

The properties acquired were the Greater Mall (400-480 S.R....

The project faces a significant, though not insurmountable, hurdle due to the absence of public sewerage on the property.

“You probably couldn’t do a big, dense project,” Hanna said. “The amount of space you would need to put in a septic system that size, considering the amount of land they have, it’s probably not feasible.”

The nearest public sewer main is hundreds of yards away. The company’s engineer, Tim Schutz, is investigating how the company might connect to public sewer, Hanna said. Schutz could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, the Axios spokeswoman said the Sadracks are trying to acquire another nearby parcel to augment the project site.

Axios, which means “he is worthy” in Greek, was established in 2009. The Sadracks have more than a decade experience in commercial construction, according to the company website.

Its projects have included medical offices, hospitals, K-12 education, utilities, offices, aviation and bio-tech. Both Rami and Rida Sadrack have attained LEED accredited professional certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to the website.

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